Couldn’t be happier: Shreyas Iyer enjoys his first win as India’s T20I captain
Shreyas Iyer could finally celebrate his first win as India’s T20I captain after the Men in Blue cruised to a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe in the opening game of the three-match series in Harare on Thursday. While the result ended a frustrating start to his captaincy, Iyer reserved special praise for 15-year-old batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, whose breathtaking 18-ball fifty stole the show.
“I couldn’t be happier,” Iyer said after the match. “I think the guys were great in terms of execution. I couldn’t have been happier when I got my first win.”
India produced a complete performance after restricting Zimbabwe to 125 for 7 before falling behind the target in just 13.2 overs. Sooryavanshi smashed 50 off just 19 balls, an innings studded with four fours and four sixes, to become the youngest player in history to score a fifty in international cricket.
India vs Zimbabwe 1st T20I: Highlights | Scorecard
FEARLESS APPROACH
Iyer described the teenager’s innings as a reflection of his fearless personality and immense confidence.
“As I mentioned earlier, it was exceptional batting from him. He is a fearless youngster. The way he approached the innings was indomitable,” Iyer said.
The India captain also pointed out that Sooryavanshi knows Harare’s conditions well as he scored a a memorable 175 in the U19 World Cup final at the same venue earlier this year.
“He’s played here before so he’s got a good idea of how these wickets behave. He scored 175 in the under-19 final so he’s got huge confidence whenever he steps on the pitch and you could see that today.”
Sooryavanshi wasted little time settling in as he dismantled the Zimbabwe attack from the start. He raced to his half-century in just 18 deliveries before eventually falling to 50 off 19, by which time India had taken complete control of the chase.
MAYANK SETS THE TONE
While Sooryavanshi grabbed the headlines, Iyer felt the platform was laid by the bowlers, especially comeback pacer Mayank Yadav.
“There was a fair amount of bounce, especially on hard lengths. But it was an exceptional start from Mayank. The way he bowled, executed his lines and lengths and didn’t give them any space to score runs, really set the pace for us. Then in the powerplay, Vaibhav came in and gave us an exceptional start,” Iyer said.
Playing his first international match since October 2024 after recovering from a stress fracture, Mayank struck with the opening ball of the match by dismissing Brian Bennett. Bowling consistently above 145km/h, he finished with two wickets as Zimbabwe struggled to gain momentum.
Ravi Bishnoi also returned economic figures while debutant Ashok Sharma impressed after recovering from an expensive opening.
Zimbabwe were reduced to 26 for 3 during the powerplay and never really recovered despite useful contributions from Wessly Madhevere, Ryan Burle and Tadiwanash Marumani.
Ishan Kishan then chipped in with a brisk 35 while Iyer remained unbeaten on 28 to complete a comfortable chase and seal his first win as India’s T20I captain. More importantly for India, the win showcased the arrival of another teenage star who continues to rewrite the record books with remarkable ease.
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Issued by:
Amar Panicker
Published on:
23 Jul 2026 20:38 IST